Black History Month: Data on Black & African Americans in the Military

In recognition of Black History Month, Syracuse University’s D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) is highlighting the critical gap in understanding the experiences of Black and African American service members, especially in their transition from military to civilian life. This research is outlined in the data brief is titled “Missing Perspectives: Black & African Americans in the Military—From Service to Civilian Life.”

Key takeaways:

• There are over 350,000 Black and African American active duty and select reserve members
• Over 2.4 million Black and African American veterans in the U.S
  • Of all Post-9/11 veterans, 17% are Black and African American (this is higher compared to the 13% of the nonveteran counterparts)
• 89% of respondents said joining the military was a good decision; however:
  • 56% had considered “racial/ethnic discrimination” in their decision-making process, and 53% had “concerns about safety regarding base/ installation preferences due to my (or my family member’s) racial/ethnic identity
• 93% of respondents felt pride in their accomplishments during service; however:
  • 45% believe their racial/ethnic identity hurt their ability to get ahead at work
• 59% of Black and African American veteran respondents characterized their employment transition as difficult or very difficult
• For more data on the above and numbers regarding employment, entrepreneurship, and education, please click here to read the rest of the data brief.

Rosalinda Vasquez Maury, IVMF’s Director of Applied Research and Analytics, is the author of this data brief and is available for interviews upon request. She has been featured on CBS News, NPR Kansas City, Entrepreneur.com, Military Times, and more. Please reach out to Vanessa Marquette, Media Relations Specialist, at vrmarque@syr.edu if you’d like to schedule a time to speak with her.